In September 2018, a Steering Committee made up of Marin community and business leaders launched the public planning process known as ARTS CULTURE ACTION MARIN! 

The Marin Cultural Association — a nonprofit under the umbrella of the Marin Department of Cultural Services — obtained grant funding and employed the expert Cultural Planning Group to lead the development of a comprehensive arts and culture master plan for Marin. The process engaged more than 1,700 Marin residents through interviews, surveys, and dozens of community forums aimed at identifying the community’s unique values, goals and priorities in the arts area. To ensure that the plan would be well-informed and data-driven, the team conducted unprecedented research charting the size, shape and economic impact of Marin’s creative sector. This included an inventory and mapping of approximately 1,750 Marin arts businesses and nonprofits, and an Americans for the Arts study documenting the $76.4 million dollar annual contribution of Marin arts nonprofits to our economy. 

This plan, formally adopted by the Board of Supervisors on May 14, 2019, was built from community input and defined three primary goals: to cultivate Marin as an arts and cultural center, to ensure Marin’s arts are by and for everyone, and to grow Marin’s arts resources for all.